An allergy occurs when your body’s immune system reacts to substances that are otherwise harmless. The most common allergic conditions include allergic rhinitis (hay fever), food allergy, atopic dermatitis (eczema), and allergic asthma.

If avoidance of specific allergic triggers is not possible, immunotherapy may be the best treatment option. Over time, allergy immunotherapy can change how your immune system reacts to certain allergic triggers, leading to long-term tolerance.

Common Allergy
Symptoms

WHAT ARE ALLERGIES?

An allergy occurs when your body’s immune system reacts to substances that are otherwise harmless. The body produces immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies that are specific to allergic triggers like pollen and animal dander.

It is estimated that as many as 30% of adults and 40% of children suffer from allergies. The most common allergic conditions among all age groups are allergic rhinitis (hay fever), food allergy, atopic dermatitis (eczema), and allergic asthma.

Continued exposure to allergens can lead to chronic inflammation and worsening of your allergic symptoms over time. Common treatment options include prescription and over-the-counter medications like antihistamines and corticosteroids.

However, these medications do not provide a long-term solution since the allergic symptoms often return when the medications are stopped.

TESTING & TREATMENT

The best way to determine if you have allergies is to perform a skin test. Skin testing for allergies is a quick and painless procedure that provides immediate results without having to draw blood or wait days for lab results. Your healthcare provider will review the results of your skin test with you and compare these to your history of allergen exposure to determine an appropriate treatment plan.

For certain allergens, simple avoidance measures can be taken to help minimize exposure to the allergic triggers. For other allergens, avoidance may be difficult or impossible. In this case, the best treatment option may include immunotherapy along with symptom-relieving medication.

Over time, the results of your immunotherapy will become obvious as the severity of your symptoms decrease and your need for medication is greatly reduced, or eliminated altogether.

ALLERGY IMMUNOTHERAPY

Allergy Immunotherapy is a long-term treatment option that helps re-educate the immune system so it no longer over-reacts to allergic triggers.

Immunotherapy formulations are prepared for each patient based on the results of an allergy skin or blood test. The treatment can be administered by injection (allergy shots) or with sublingual drops or tablets. A typical course of allergy immunotherapy will take a few years to complete, but it is the only treatment that provides long-lasting relief, with the potential to become totally allergy free.